Seven illicit bishops have asked Pope Francis for pardon and requested reconciliation with him and the universal church.

The rumors of division between the pope and his top aides made headlines in late January after Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, met personally with Pope Francis

Under the new regulations, lower-level officials can oversee the activities of China’s religious communities—a move expected to lead to intensified harassment of Christians and churches.

Pope Francis has made normalizing relations with China a priority. But the Vatican and China remain at odds over the Vatican's insistence that the pope have the authority to name bishops.

Father John, in northern China, said he felt Xi had become "another Mao" Zedong.

“I believe it’s essential for some people to go to jail for the sake of democracy. It will in the end strengthen the movement.”